Renaissance
by JC303
Summary: In a land as modern as our own, an orphan named Jenny befriends a creature named Troll, where the two encounter the wildest adventure of their dreams.


Trot, trot, trot…

The sound my boots made as I treaded across the dirt road in the sands of the desert. The hot, dry sun beat down on my shoulders, despite the large sunhat I wore.

Trot, trot, trot…

Noticing that my chewing gum had lost its flavor, I spat it out in the sand beside the road and I popped in a fresh stick, where I proceeded to chew again with the burst of the sweet, jaw-aching flavor. Then I blew up a bright pink bubble. One could obviously tell I had a thing for bubble gum, and while I was addicted to its sweet taste, it also helped me think.

I hoped that I could find town soon, not only because it was getting close to sundown, but I was running low on gum.

Sure, _THAT'S_ my biggest concern…

Trot, trot, trot…

I got lost in thought about simple things, like how I was going to save all the hours of traveling. I'd hope that in the Great Desert Plains, some ride would pass by and I'd hitchhike my way across this place. Occasionally, I saw one or two sand-cycles come by, and offering me a ride, it took me a pretty good way through the desert. The people that dropped me off were pretty nice folks, and gave me directions on how to reach the nearest town, which would be quite a walk for me.

Once I reach town, hopefully there'd be somebody else that would give me a lift.

Trot, trot, tr—HOOOOOOOOOOONK!

Jolted out of my thoughts, I whirled around quick enough to spot the pickup truck that was speeding toward me. I was lucky enough to jump out of the way when it came to zoom by; an angry driver yelling at me to 'Get off the damn road!'

It was at that point that the bubble I blew popped in my face, and a blanket of pink covered my eyes as I heard the engine of that truck fade away. Grumbling, I pulled the gum off my face. "Good afternoon to you too," I muttered sarcastically, sticking the wad of popped gum right back in my mouth.

_SOMEBODY_ must've gotten up at the wrong side of the bed.

Seriously…

I just shrugged it off and continued back onto the road, deciding to ignore that it happened. After all, it shouldn't be the major event of the day.

Or, at least that's what I thought.

Not too long after the encounter, I came to a place that was nothing but few old shacks sitting next to the road. I happened to spot that very same pickup parked in front of one of the shacks, and a couple of guys heaving over a tied up sack through the door; a _squirming_ sack, which I saw when getting a closer look.

…_.what in the world?_ I thought.

But before I could really get a much better look, the men forced it through the door and closed it behind them.

Now, I realize that it's not nice, nor is it a good idea to poke my nose into other people's business. Knowing that, I stood there considering what I should do; sneak closer for a better peek, or just keep walking. After all, I wanted to find town before it started to get dark, and it was just about sundown at this point. Not too mention I was planning ahead on how to save time from so much walking…

…Still, that pesky curiosity got the best of me.

I approached the shack to see if there was a peeking hole of some sort. Better yet, I came across a small window up high, so on my tip-toes, I struggled to look through.

The men were wrestling with the wiggling sack. "Hold him down!" he bellowed. "We can't let him get out free!"

"For God's sake, Horace," the other man grumbled, "Just untie the damn rope!"

The man named Horace flinched. Well, it seemed like he had a reason to, as the other guy was gruff looking, big, and muscular; your typical "bronze over brain," thug. Horace looked like a little scrawny guy to the large man, and if you ask me, he was just about ready to fill his pants at the sight of him.

Anyhow, Horace attempted to release the knot. The sack was growing even more restless, as was I to see what was in it. Just as Horace untied the rope, he stuck his hand right in and—

"OW!" Horace yelped, as his hand retreat instantly out of the sack. "He BIT me!"

Next thing I knew, a silver-ish blur popped out of the sack and ran across the shack into a corner. "NO! TROLL DID NOT HURT NOBODY! DON'T HURT TROLL BACK!" screeched a small, nasal voice.

"We don't care about your pathetic pleas," the thug yelled, getting ready to corner whatever was in the corner; I couldn't see it because it was outside the view of the window. "We're shaving that rug off your head whether you want us to or not. We don't care what happens to you in the process!"

I lowered from the window in shock with my back pressed against the wall. I didn't know just exactly what was going on, but by the sound of it, I'd have to guess those men were some sort of poachers. Hearing that small voice cry out helplessly again, it shook me even more. Naturally, I wanted to help that little guy, and I didn't even bother to wonder about it; like how it could talk. My hand dove into my pocket, and I went around to the door.

I took a deep breath, suddenly realizing that I was doing something reckless, but I wasn't going to hold back now. Before I could think about it anymore, I opened the door and stepped in.

The minute I did that, not only did it startle the men since they didn't expect anyone happening by, but that silver blur jumped out from the corner—and right at me! The impact knocked me onto my backside, nearly knocking the wind out of me because of how fast it happened. After that, I found myself looking right at bug-eyed, bright yellow eyes that stared right back at me.

"Hey, YOU!" called Horace.

Despite how puny Horace was, the thing jumped off my lap, and hid right behind my leg when I rose to my feet. I looked at the men first which walked out of the shack and ominously approached me. "That's our pet, ma'am. I highly suggest you hand him back to us and walk away…"

That's when I looked down at it/him, seeing finally just what it was. He was kind of like a short imp, gnome…thing. Not quite sure what he really was actually; all I knew for sure was that he had a very similar anatomy to a human, only he walked on two paw-like feet, he only had four fingers on each hand. He was covered in fur from head to toe, and while his body was a kind of cream, yellowish color, there was a big, thick, messy patch of silver fur right on his head; which would explain the silver blur. I had already seen his yellow eyes, which were just almost hidden underneath the bangs of his silver fur.

Poor guy looked up at me in fear, wondering if I was really going to hand him over to these guys or not. I must admit, that his eyes were quite pleading, and he slightly whimpered for me not to. It definitely would've been hard to turn away from a sight like that.

So I looked back at the men, and even considered my chances against the big thug, while I pulled something out of my pocket; a big yo-yo, with red rim and flames painted on it. I just began to yo-yo it up and down, as I blew a bubble gum bubble.

After the bubble popped, "you know, if he was your pet, then I'd think that you'd take better care of him."

"Wait—so you know?" Horace questioned. Then he got his face compressed by the thug's large gorilla hands.

"Keep your mouth shut, you moron," the thug growled, appearing to be a lot smarter than he looked. Then he shot a glare at me. "You know, little missy, it sounds like you were watching us."

"Gee, what gave you that idea?" I remarked. "Sorry, if you want this little guy, you'll have to get past me. I don't like the idea of you guys abusing an innocent creature like him." Looking back down at the creature, his eyes shimmered with a ray of hope.

But looking back at the men, they both shot devious smirks at me. "If you say so, little lady," the thug said. "This should be simple enough for you Horace."

"Sure thing boss," Horace replied, coming up to me.

Alright, so the thug guy was the boss. Not that hard to figure out, seeing that this puny man could be pushed around easily; even by me. When he walked up to me, my yo-yo moved out of its up-and-down routine and I effortlessly smacked him over the face with it.

Now my yo-yo is very unique compared to normal yo-yos, for it can magically adjust in size. It could become just about big enough to surpass my palms, barely allowing my fingers around it. According to common physics, if something goes at a fast speed it can hurt if it hits, especially when it's a big object. At this time, it had grown that size just for whacking pleasure.

Long story short, I knocked little Horace right off his feet by one whack across his cheek with my yo-yo. The little man cried as he clamped his hands over his swollen cheek; and I mean that he cried like a baby. The little imp creature looked at Horace with wide eyes, and then at me in amazement as I shot a small, friendly smile at him.

When I looked back up, his boss pinched his brows in irritation, and even some slight embarrassment of his lackey's behavior. "So, it looks like you're tougher than you appear to be, little missy."

"I'd have to be, if a girl like me was walking around this big, dangerous world all by my little lonesome," I said, tapping my head like it was a no-brainer.

The thug man looked me over as he folded his arms. "What's your name?" he asked.

"It's more polite for the man to introduce himself before the lady does," I responded.

"Ah, so you even know some rules of etiquette," he said amusingly. "You're certainly full of surprises."

"Trust me; you'd be even more surprised," I added, just as I began an 'around-the-world' trick with my yo-yo.

The thug man chuckled before he introduced himself. "I'm Garrick Harley."

"Jenny," I replied bluntly.

"Jenny hm?" Garrick murmured. It was silent as he stared at me, and then alternated to the impish furry creature that now clung to my legs helplessly. A small smile crossed his lips. "I guess I'll let him go."

"Really now?" I asked, reeling back my yo-yo into my hand. "You're just going to let him go like that? He not worth that much to you?" and I saw the furry creature shoot a look of shock and disbelief at me.

"Nah, he's not worth getting hurt over," Garrick chuckled. "I like your spirits kid, and I think he's better suited in your care than ours. Besides, we poachers can make do with something else instead."

Poacher's hm? So that's what this was about. Still, it's strange to see this bad guy suddenly transform into a normal guy like that. I kept my eye on Garrick as he picked up Horace off the ground effortlessly.

"Quit your whining, you nitwit," he grumbled, "And get back in the truck."

"Y-y-y-y-yes sir!" Horace stuttered, shaking like a leaf in the wind.

Oh brother, what a baby…

I watched as Garrick started up the truck and the two of them disappeared on the dirt road ahead. It wasn't until the illusion of the heat broke the image apart that I realized the sheer stupidity of it.

"Oh for crying out—THEY COULD'VE GIVEN ME A RIDE!" I cried. Now here I am again stranded in the desert wasteland with this…uh, creature thing.

"…those bad men gone now?"

"Huh?" I turned to him, and he looked at me like a lost, innocent child. "Oh, yeah, they're gone now. No need to worry about them anymore."

The creature smiled. "Troll thanks girl! Troll likes nice girl that saved him."

Troll? What was this creature talking about? "Wait a minute…is Troll your name or something?" I asked.

The creature nodded his head excitedly. "Yeah! That's Troll's name! Troll thinks that nice girl is friendly! Smells good too! Nice girl smells like pumpkins!"

I had to admit, this was cute, but how did I smell like pumpkins? If anything, I should smell like bubble-gum. I should also stop Troll from his rambling before he trips over his own words. "My name's Jenny, Troll," I said.

"Jenny?" Troll said, cocking his head. "No, Troll can't call girl by her name. Troll call her 'Pumpkin Girl!' Troll like that better!" Then he jumped and clapped his hands. "Pumpkin Girl!"

I stared at Troll, blinking; _think_ing about what I just got myself into.

In one of my blinks, Troll stood there silently, ceasing his excited spasm. "Pumpkin Girl," he said. "Can Troll come with you?"

"What?" I hadn't quite heard him right. I was still thinking, and it wasn't until a minute afterward when I processed what he said. "Oh, you want to come with me?"

Troll nodded.

I thought about that too. To be honest, it was kind of a drag walking through the desert alone with no one to talk with to pass the time. I'm sure Troll was…_unique_ enough to keep a conversation interesting, so I smiled at him. "Yeah, I guess you can come along."

"YIPPEE!" And before I knew it, I was knocked off my feet as Troll tackled me with a hug. "Pumpkin Girl is Troll's best friend!"

"Whoa, hey, don't jump to conclusions!" I yelped in surprise, pushing him off me gently.

"Pumpkin Girl don't like Troll?" Now tears welled up in his eyes, immediately making me feel guilty.

"No! No Troll, that's not it at all!" I assured hurriedly. "I like you! Just don't cry!"

"Okay," Troll replied happily, shifting moods entirely.

I raised my eyebrow.


End file.
